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Quest Means Business
Baby Rescued From Rubble Of Apartment Building In Colombia; Progressive Democrats Face Tests In Minnesota, Wisconsin; U.S. Official: Trump Changed Planes Amid Iran Threat; Russian Attacks Making Life Difficult In Kyiv; Trump Media Posts Heavy Losses; Bremont Launches New Collection; Estonia Brings A.I. Into Education. Aired 4-5p ET
Aired August 11, 2026 - 16:00 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
[16:00:14]
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL HOST: So you can see there, a down day for the Dow, but down less than half a percent. In fact, all the indices were
down. I think we are finally getting that summer breather.
Those are the markets, and these are the main events: The miraculous moment in Colombia as a tiny baby is pulled from the rubble just moments ago.
That's after Monday's earthquake.
A Secret Service switcheroo: We will tell you how President Trump secretly swapped planes in an elaborate ruse to evade an Iranian threat.
And in its first ever earnings call, President Trump's social media company says it is cashing in from selling early access to the President's posts.
Live from New York. It is Tuesday, August 11th. I am Paula Newton, in for Richard Quest and this is QUEST MEANS BUSINESS.
And we do thankfully begin with a joyous moment and an incredible rescue in Colombia. This brand new video just into CNN of a baby being rescued. Now,
you see there exactly how tiny the baby is. This is Cali, one of the areas hardest hit by Monday's deadly earthquake. The men who took this video says
he heard the building collapse, and then another man calling for help, saying, "I am over here. I am with a baby." The man also says he and six
others were able to pull the baby out before the emergency responders arrived.
Now, in the devastated city of Pereira, rescue workers and volunteers there formed a human chain. You see them there to try and clear away chunks of
debris. They are racing against time to find people trapped underneath what was an apartment building there.
CNN's David Culver has more now on this painstaking rescue.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
DAVID CULVER, CNN SENIOR US NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: They believe a little girl is still inside this building. That's the sense of urgency that has
got dozens of folks now on top of what was an apartment building, four storeys high on the ground floor, according to neighbors with a drug store
and a restaurant.
It obviously is now left in just total rubble, and they are trying to clear a lot of that and this was a Main Street that went around this Central
Square that's totally covered. They've got a massive crane here and a lot of other resources that are coming in.
And they've been fueling this by bringing tanks of gas to this location to keep it going over the past 24-plus hours so that this operation hasn't had
to stop.
But you can see there is a lot of focus now on one area in particular. And we've been watching this over the course of an hour or so, and it has gone
from moments of total silence, even the crowd around has been totally quiet and trying to allow them to listen for whatever sounds they might hear from
beneath the rubble.
We were told throughout the night they could hear some sounds, even yelling at times according to one neighbor who was out here, that has stopped and
yet it hasn't slowed down, they are focused on this building.
I mean, this is a city, Pereira that is one of the, if not the hardest hit from this earthquake. And when we drove in from Bogota, it took us about
eight hours because flights were canceled out of Bogota and you go through a very mountainous, windy path to get here and passing us at high speeds
where several first responders and resources that were trying to get here as soon as possible to bring aid and to assist in what is a massive effort
here.
I mean, this is one area of this city. You go block after block after block, and you will see similar scenes of destruction and similar efforts
of search and rescue, where they will go from one location to another with teams, K9 units, to try to figure out what they can do in that moment to
potentially save lives.
When it comes to this building behind me, one neighbor told me that over the course of the past day, they were able to pull out seven people
altogether, three of them had passed away, the other four survived. And they are just hoping at this point that the little girl who they believe is
still inside there, along with another older woman, that they can get them out safely.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
NEWTON: David there, really giving us a good indication on the scope of the challenge on the ground.
Now, Colombia's President is ordering financial relief for victims of Monday's earthquake. He announced that people who lost their homes will be
given financial support to rent temporary housing. They will also get help to repair and rebuild.
[16:05:02]
Edward de Burgh is senior officer for Global Security at Project Hope, and he joins us now from Colombia. It is good to speak to you as you're on the
ground. Just let us know what you're coping with there and what you believe the needs are, and is it still the priority here in the next 24 hours to
and rescue as many people as possible?
EDWARD DE BURGH, SENIOR OFFICER FOR GLOBAL SECURITY, PROJECT HOPE: Yes, thanks for that. Can you hear me? I am not sure.
NEWTON: Absolutely. We can hear you. Go ahead, Edward.
DE BURGH: Wonderful. So yes, so, I mean, we arrived on the ground this morning. We did have one of our staff members who lives in Cali -- we
arrived to Cali -- who went through the whole experience, and immediately after that started what we call the Rapid Needs Assessment where she went
out and looked at the state of the clinics and the hospitals, which is our main focus in emergencies such as this.
Obviously what your reporter is suggesting in Pereira or showing in Pereira, you know, is spread over a huge geographical distance. And within
Cali, which is a larger city, in different neighborhoods within the city.
For ourselves at the moment, we need to do this Needs Assessment to look at where we focus our efforts, and at the moment we will be looking at the
primary health care clinics, which if you can imagine the hospitals and the clinics being buildings as well, get damaged where they get damaged
completely or even partially, it makes them inoperable.
And so what happens over these next few days is that as people need assistance, the hospitals can get swamped and then the clinics aren't able
to assist.
In terms of where we are at the moment, to your point about which phase we are in, we are definitely still in the rescue phase at the moment as your
reporter was explaining and showing, that this happens at a very local level with the solidarity of the people and also, you know, organizations
and institutions, government institutions doing rescue.
And in these next three days, which are critical, this is where most of the rescue attempts will be focused at the moment and then we start moving into
the recovery phase.
NEWTON: From what you've seen, and I know you have some experience in this, they are -- the government is rushing resources. Civilians are on the
ground there. Do you believe they have enough at hand right now to deal with those who are injured? And obviously, anyone that can be rescued in
the next 24 hours.
DE BURGH: I mean, I can't speak to that. I mean, again, I go back to this point geographically, you know, this is very different from Venezuela,
where we were obviously are and still are. You know, immediately after the event, where it was very localized, although extremely intense damage in
very localized areas.
This is spread out. So where your reporter is about 200 kilometers north of where we are in Cali and that's not including now on the other side of the
mountain range towards the Pacific Ocean where the epicenter was.
Again, which is another sort of 6,000 kilometers, depending on which point you want to get to. So, obviously, the Colombian government has responded
very quickly and organizations are coming in, but at the moment, as in all these cases, you know, you get a huge community effort to obviously --
because they are there, to help drag people out and that's where we are at the moment there and then, we are backfilled by the organizations and the
government as they start getting into position.
NEWTON: Yes. I mean, in the video that we are watching, they are working at a frenetic pace there. Obviously, people had been hearing people under the
rubble, and they understand exactly what they are up against and trying to make sure they get the survivors out.
You mentioned Venezuela. I am wondering what you observed there in terms of the enormity of the challenge in front of Colombia now, and I know
completely two different locations earthquakes, circumstances. But I mean, in Colombia, they warned us they haven't even really been able to reach the
remote areas that were close to the epicenter.
DE BURGH: Yes. As I said, this is on the other side of, you know, what one of the -- so the Andes splits into three in Colombia and the most western
range is very remote, as your reporter was saying, even to get from Bogota to Pereira, was winding through the mountain roads.
So to get even further over the mountain roads to what is already a very remote area and a lot of landslides as well are blocking some of the roads.
You know, that's a challenge. You know, and we will - I mean, we are in Cali today. We are going to head up to where your reporter is tomorrow and
then well be obviously considering going across to Choco, which is the area of the epicenter across the mountains towards the Pacific, which is a
challenge just because of the distances in comparison to Venezuela, which was very localized.
[16:10:10]
And, you know, intensely catastrophic.
NEWTON: Edward, you've given us, again, a real look at the challenge ahead for so many. Good to speak to you on the ground there, and good luck with
all -- everything that you're trying to do in the next few days. Appreciate it.
DE BURGH: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, it is Primary Day in the United States. Voters in six states are casting ballots. Several contests will test the popularity of the
Democratic Party's surging progressive flank against centrist opponents. A lot of eyes are on Minnesota's Democratic Senate race, where that state's
progressive lieutenant governor, Peggy Flanagan, is facing off against moderate Congresswoman Angie Craig; right next door in Wisconsin,
Democratic socialist Francesca Hong is the frontrunner for the party's nomination for governor after several major rivals dropped out.
CNN's Jeff Zeleny is in Wisconsin for us.
You've been through the state. You've had a good look at these races, an intimate look at these races and I am just wondering what voters are
parsing right now? Because the state of the race has been quite chaotic to use just one term.
JEFF ZELENY, CNN CHIEF NATIONAL AFFAIRS CORRESPONDENT: Paula, there is no doubt about the chaotic nature of this governor's race here in Wisconsin.
We really haven't seen anything like it in all of the races all year long and this is what I mean.
I mean, just a few weeks ago, the race was entirely different. There was a different set of frontrunners. The lieutenant governor, Sara Rodriguez, is
her name. She was in the race. She dropped out because of some money issues. The former lieutenant governor, Mandela Barnes, he dropped out. So
that has really created some issues here, particularly if you voted early and sent in your ballot by mail several weeks ago.
But the bottom line here now is voters are going into polling places like this in Madison and all across the state. Francesca Hong is a Democratic
socialist. She is a 37-year-old state legislator who has really caught the state by surprise and by storm in some respects, really, you know, calling
for this big change that the Democratic voters are yearning for.
Well, she is running against the Milwaukee County Executive, David Crowley is his name, and he is more of a centrist, middle of the road candidate. So
this is one more example of the chapters we've seen all year long about the progressive insurgency versus the Democratic establishment.
Well, there is talk of electability, but we talked to one supporter and one voter of Francesca Hong who said she is done with talk of electability.
This is what she said why she is voting for Francesca Hong.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: How did you come down in the governor's race?
NATSUKO SUZUKI, WISCONSIN VOTER: I Think Francesca Hong, so I voted for Francesca Hong and I think that she is someone who can inspire the
Democratic Party. And I think that, with the discourse I've seen is that it is very much like, let's pacify the, the rest of the state and I feel like
instead we need to take a stronger stand and actually vote for things we believe in instead of things that we think other people will like.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
ZELENY: So take a stronger stand. She certainly represents what a lot of a Hong supporters are believing, but many other Democrats who we have spoken
to said it is a time for a pragmatic approach. So, we will see how the voters here come down.
But again, we have seen this strain really from state to state to state. Last week in Michigan, today it is being tested in Wisconsin, and as you
said, neighboring Minnesota as well. Democrats are having a moment in their party. They are fed up with their party leadership. It is sort of like a
the liberal version of the Tea Party Movement we saw more than a decade ago, about 15 years or so ago.
So there clearly is unrest in the party. And again, as people are coming into their polling place here, they will make a decision. But what happens
here in Wisconsin will certainly offer some more lessons for the mood of the Democratic Party and their chances come November -- Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, and I guess that's the point. It has really been interesting for me to see how many of these local races really have piqued national
interest, and we will continue to see more of that.
Jeff Zeleny, for us on the ground, appreciate it.
Now, coming up next for us, new information about a Secret Service ruse while President Trump was leaving Turkey last month. An official says, he
had to switch planes in a catering truck due to an Iranian threat. We will have the details next.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:17:07]
NEWTON: So new details on an elaborate ruse to get President Trump out of Turkey last month, amid an Iranian threat. A U.S. official tells CNN, the
President secretly boarded an alternate military plane while hidden inside a catering truck. Reporters and White House staffers were unaware they were
flying on a decoy plane.
Congressional National Security aides say the top lawmakers who oversee the Intelligence Community were not briefed on the incident.
Now, the nature of the Iranian threat that prompted such measures is still unclear. Mr. Trump is not the first president, we will note, to hide risky
travel plans, President Clinton secretly switched to an unmarked white jet while flying from India to Pakistan in 2000. The ruse only became clear
when he got off in Islamabad, and Presidents Obama and George W. Bush also made surprise visits to see U.S. troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, although
those trips did not involve decoy planes.
Alayna Treene is with us at The White House. I am wondering what more you're learning about this. I mean, it was quite a ruse, but obviously the
lengths that they went to would match, I would imagine the gravity of the threat.
ALAYNA TREENE, CNN WHITE HOUSE REPORTER: I think, that's exactly right. I mean, it was just an extraordinary degree, Paula, of subterfuge that this
White House went the lengths to which they went to try and protect the President here, and I do agree with you that I think it is reflective of
just how serious and credible they believed the threat from Iran was, and not only on the President's life, but I also think there are questions
about the specifics for the lengths they believed Iran was able to threaten the President's life, the specificity at which and kind of the manpower and
the weapons that they had to have the capabilities to have such a threat on the President's life while he was traveling, leaving Turkey first to go to
the U.K., then back home to the United States.
Look, I think there were a couple of things, although I should note from the get go here that, you know, you can't blame the reporters who were
traveling with the President on board the older Air Force One plane that day because of exactly how they did; one, you know, and if you look at this
great new reporting, I should note it first was broken by "The Washington Post," CNN has now confirmed it about how the President did first board
that older, you know, Boeing 757 jet, the older Air Force One. He did climb up the steps, that closed, then the press were brought on board.
Then the President went down into a catering truck, was moved to a separate military plane, a C-32A, that then traveled on. So a third plane that
really traveled to the U.K. That entire time, I should note The White House had been saying that the President was on board that plane and you said
this, but I will just reiterate it, Paula. It was unbeknownst to not only the press that were traveling on board, but to some of The White House
staffers who were traveling on board as well, that the President wasn't actually on the plane with them.
[16:20:10]
But I will say, you know, there are some indicators as well that made this this suspicious from the moment they were taking off.
First, of course, this idea that they were taking the older Air Force plane, I would remind you that the President had flown on the newer jet
that was gifted from Qatar last year. That was the plane that they had initially taken. So there was some questions about why are you having us,
you know, switch planes and take the older plane. The excuse that The White House had initially given there was that they wanted to fly the newer jet
to a refueling base where there were U.S. service members on the ground in the United Kingdom who wanted to go tour it.
Later, of course, we and other outlets reported that actually the reason they had switched those planes at all was because of a threat on the
President's life from Iran. But the other thing that they did was they asked press on board to close the shades, close the shades that would, you
know, to the windows on the plane. That is not typical at all. As someone who has traveled on Air Force One with a lot of colleagues here at The
White House who have gone on dozens of Air Force One flights, that is not typical.
And then also, you know, later looking back, you know, once that legacy, the older Air Force One plane did land in the United Kingdom, it was a long
time before press were actually allowed off the plane, giving the President, now we know enough time to re-board Air Force One after getting
off the third plane that he took, and to make it look like he had never left that plane in the first place.
I think, obviously this is a lot that I am sharing with you about all of these details, but there is a lot that went into this and I think really
speaks to the extraordinary levels the team went to keep this hidden from public view.
The other thing I want to point out is that The White House has not confirmed this story, but nor did they deny it. And then the other thing as
well, I think, is important to note here about what does the nature of this threat look like? That is something I am still working on reporting out,
our colleagues are working on reporting out, but what we do know is that while the President was in Turkey for the NATO Summit, Israel had briefed
the President and his team on the extent of the threat that they believed Iran was posing.
So that played some sort of role in here, but the specific nature of it, still a target for us to try and run down -- Paula.
NEWTON: Yes, Alayna, and I am grateful to you for breaking it all down that way, because it is not that we are trying to, you know, parse some kind of
a scene out of a movie. You know, it is, you know, very salient to your last point, which is what is the nature of the threat and that's what we
are still trying to get information about.
Alayna Treene for us from The White House, thank you.
Paul Eckloff is a former U.S. Secret Service special agent. He served on the security detail for Presidents George W. Bush, Obama and Trump during
his career and he joins me now.
Can't think of anyone better to speak to at this moment. You point out that Iran and other adversaries devote enormous resources to understanding how
the Secret Service, how you at one time protected your presidents.
You argue the public didn't need to know everything that Alayna Treene just spelled out for us. Do you believe this puts any president, including this
president, in more danger? Now that we know that these kinds of things happen, that these decoys are put into place at times?
PAUL ECKLOFF, FORMER U.S. SECRET SERVICE SPECIAL AGENT: It is an interesting question and the simple answer is yes. I would assume the
public knows that the Secret Service uses surreptitious or clandestine means to protect the President, and he is not always in the car or aircraft
that you think he is. That's a simple tradecraft method.
The public has a right to know of the level of threat, and that this volatile environment that we find ourselves in throughout the world is
incredibly heightened. However, I don't believe that there is an interest beyond curiosity to knowing the means and methods that the Secret Service
uses to keep the President safe, and there is a bigger issue security question that we are missing here.
NEWTON: So I do want to get back to the nature of the threat, though, given your experience, you know, how much of a dangerous situation was this,
given the lengths that they went to, to make sure that he was safe? And what do you believe is the nature of that threat, especially as we continue
to parse exactly what Iran is doing, its capabilities, and how strategically it has surprised the United States Military and everything
that it has done.
ECKLOFF: Controlling the airspace around the President of the united states is incredibly complex. When you do it in an environment such as Turkey,
that its southern border is Syria, Iraq and Iran and to the north is the Black Sea, with the Russian Black Sea Fleet and Ukraine. You have two wars
around you, and you have intelligence operatives from any number of those countries operating within Turkey. I would have to believe that this threat
was both credible and exigent, and that this decision had to be made by the Secret Service and the United States Military.
It is important to realize that the Secret Service doesn't make these decisions in a vacuum. The President of the United States is the commander-
in-chief of the United States Military. So the military and the Department of Defense has a large say in keeping him safe as well.
[16:25:06]
To do something this extraordinary, well, I don't believe it is as extraordinary as people think, it is a matter of knowledge. The Iranians
did not know which aircraft he was on any more than the press did, which was precisely the point.
These same sorts of methodologies were used to bring Biden in and out of Ukraine on a train. I don't want to give sources and methods, but there
were methods used in that case to move a President of the United States into a war zone that would be considered just as compelling.
NEWTON: Yes, so we hear you. This is likely not unprecedented and I hear you there, but I do want to get more to the point, though, is what should
you know, the Secret Service or anyone else trying to protect a leader here be looking out for? Because you say this operation was fascinating in the
way it was carried out. And it shows that the protective service is creative and adaptive, but I have a hard time buying that.
President Trump was in turkey. Turkey is a NATO ally. This is not Kabul. This is not anywhere close to those theaters. I am wondering from you, what
does that tell us about how the threats have evolved in the last few years?
ECKLOFF: Well, the threats have certainly evolved, but I will absolutely push back on just geography alone. As I said, Turkey has an enormous border
with Syria, Iraq and Iran and the Russian Black Sea Fleet to its north, so it is very much like Kabul. It is not downtown Kabul, and it is not
Afghanistan, but considering that the war in Iran is primarily an airborne war, that airspace becomes critical.
The largest security question I have here is not the means and methods, it is who or why was it leaked? The threat to the President of the United
States and the press as well that day in Turkey remained on the ground there a month ago. But the threat or the insider that felt it was
compelling to share this still travels with the President.
NEWTON: I hear you and you make some very good points. What I am saying, though, is would that threat assessment not have been made before he went
to this NATO Summit. And again, I stress it is a NATO Summit. Should any kind of protective service not be able to protect a president inside of a
NATO allied country?
ECKLOFF: I think that's a rather naive question, given the nature of the region and the threat and the wars that are going on in the world right
now, the Secret Service and the military can do its best --
NEWTON: I do want to push back on you said --
ECKLOFF: -- in a NATO country, ma'am it is based on intelligence that is available that is an exigent and emerging threat
NEWTON: Paul, you said -- we are just trying to, you know, kind of talk to you about your knowledge and I am really trying to get information from you
as much as you can tell us about the nature of this threat, because, you know, many of us have traveled with presidents and prime ministers to war
zones, and we understand that a lot goes into trying to keep them safe.
But in this instance, this seems kind of elaborate. Are you saying that the threat has not evolved then? These are just kinds of the things that go on
when you're trying to keep a President safe in a country like this.
ECKLOFF: I do believe that the threat environment throughout the world has evolved, whether that's online radicalization, whether it is various
attacks, it would be naive on my part to think that it has not evolved, given the essentially five assassination attempts within the last two years
on this President. But the threat certainly emerged through an intelligence stream in an exigent fashion.
I am sure that they knew what the intelligence was when they traveled there, but that may have evolved up to the very minute of his departure,
and they had to do what they felt to keep the President of the United States safe.
NEWTON: Paul, we really appreciate your insights on this because, again, it can be threatening to look at a situation like this and think that the U.S.
President is not safe making that kind of a trip. We will continue to learn more about this.
And I hear you, you're saying we should not be able to learn more about this, that it is not entirely necessary and can be dangerous.
Paul Eckloff for us, thanks so much. Appreciate it.
ECKLOFF: Have a good night.
NEWTON: Ukraine says a Russian missile strike hit the grounds of a children's hospital in Kyiv. The strike left two craters, shattering
windows and rupturing a gas pipe. And in Zaporizhzhia in the southeast, Russian strikes killed at least seven people and wounded 24 others. It
comes as Ukraine has again attacked the warehouses of wild berries, Russia's largest online retailer.
Kyiv has been ramping up its strikes on the seller as it attempts to disrupt the lives and businesses of ordinary Russians.
Nick Paton Walsh has more now from Kyiv.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
NICK PATON WALSH, CNN CHIEF INTERNATIONAL SECURITY CORRESPONDENT: Well, the radical change in how safe people feel in Kyiv for so long in the war, a
kind of bubble of comparative safety. You can feel in places like here six days ago, this was a shopping mall that was hit by one of the now
increasingly frequent Russian ballistic missile attacks.
And what has really changed in the capital is how for years, you would hear people simply walking nonchalantly through the air raid sirens, because
Ukraine is basically out of the patriot interceptor missiles that used to take down the Russian ballistic missile threat, people are now running for
safety into subways, into shelter, when they hear those air raid sirens.
[16:30:13]
That's a stark change to see in the capital and a real reflection of how desperately bleak the situation has come for Ukraine. President Trump
nonchalantly on the outskirts of the NATO summit in Ankara said that he would give a license to Ukraine to produce interceptors for itself, for the
Patriot missile system. That has stalled, if not really fallen apart. And they urgently need the ability to do that basically right now to try and
bring some kind of safety back.
In the last 24 hours, we have seen how a children's hospital here in Kyiv was hit. No patients were hurt. They were in the shelter down below. But
Zaporizhzhia, the town in the south, lot less lucky there. Seven employees of the same civilian enterprise were running to the shelter when they were
all killed by a Russian ballistic missile, a North Korean one it may well have been, a KN-23, a sign of the outside help that Russia is increasingly
relying upon. They are said to potentially be receiving 30,000 North Korean troops to assist in the fighting on the front line.
But the war has really shifted to the skies and Ukraine's retaliatory strikes inside Russia hit yet again an Amazon-style, Wildberries logistical
warehouse, something that gives out internet goods for distribution. That one of many such targets of Wildberries hit in the past weeks, potentially
losing 10 percent of their capabilities. Ukraine saying that they formed part of the military logistical hub and also, too, in Orsk, 1500 kilometers
deep inside Russia, a refinery also hit by Ukrainian strikes.
These retaliatory, the nightly barrage against Ukraine continuing. And the ballistic missile role in that increasing. We hear less nightly of drones
and more now of waves of ballistic missiles that were 60 in 1 whole month back a few months ago, and now appear to be sometimes dozens every single
night.
Russia seeing the weakness, seeing the lack of interceptors, seeing the reticence of the West to give Ukraine what they urgently need, and seizing
upon that to wreak havoc here and bring a whole new wave, frankly, of panic and terror here in Kyiv.
Nick Paton Walsh CNN, Kyiv, Ukraine.
PAULA NEWTON, CNN INTERNATIONAL ANCHOR: OK, coming up for us, the president's social media company announced heavy losses in its Earnings
Call. Still, its CEO says there is one bright spot. We'll tell you what it is.
(COMMERCIAL BREAK)
[16:35:34]
NEWTON: Hello, I'm Paula Newton, and there's more QUEST MEANS BUSINESS in a moment when President Trump's media company reported heavy losses. We'll
get into the reasons why. And Bremont watch company is releasing a new collection. We will speak with the CEO. Before that, though, the headlines
this hour.
Some incredible video we want to show you from Colombia of a baby being rescued from a collapsed building. Now the infant was pulled from the
wreckage of this apartment building. A man said he ran towards the scene and heard the faint voice of a survivor saying he was trapped with a baby,
together with a group of other bystanders thankfully they worked to rescue the child.
Russia has freed U.S. Marine veteran Robert Gilman after years in detention. Secretary of State Marco Rubio shared this photo of Gilman,
pictured here on the left, on a flight back to the United States. His family and other advocates had feared he was near death after reports that
he was subjected to physical and psychological torture.
Ukrainian officials say a Russian missile strike hit near a children's hospital in Kyiv. The attack left two craters, shattering windows and
rupturing a gas pipe in Zaporizhzhia to the southeast. Russian strikes killed at least seven people. Moscow's onslaught comes as Ukraine steps up
drone attacks on the warehouses of Wildberries, Russia's largest online retailer.
The president's social media company reported heavy losses in its first ever Earnings Call with analysts. It announced just $1.7 million in sales
and $238 million in losses. Declines in its crypto portfolio hurt the company. No kidding. Still, Trump Media CEO said there is a major bright
spot. He said its newest product providing instant access to the president's Truth Social feed is worth tens of thousands of dollars to
customers.
David Goldman is here with us, and he's going to break this down.
Look, David, we're going to learn something here because you will tell us that, yes, this is a product that many people want. And I was surprised to
learn that other social media platforms do offer this kind of service as well.
DAVID GOLDMAN, CNN BUSINESS SENIOR CORRESPONDENT: They do. Yes. I mean, social media is actually a pretty decent, you know, if you want a source of
information, you want it instantly, it's where you go to get it. And I think a lot of Wall Street companies say, well, if we can get all of that
information a split second faster than retail investors will, you know, that's the difference between a profit or a loss potentially for us because
they have those high frequency trading computers with algorithms that look for, you know, all kinds of signal.
And they say, well, is this good for the stock market? Is it good for the oil market? Is it bad for bonds or whatever it might be? But you know who
has even more power than you or me or everyone else in social media? The president of the United States because President Trump is making policy
decisions on social media, on his Truth Social platform, and he's saying, we're going to war or we're going to stop war, or we're going to announce a
tariff or, you know, there's some sort of economic policy decision that he's making.
And that is all stuff that Wall Street wants to know instantaneously. So to get an API that is what the company is offering, that instantaneous access
to get that access, you know, a split second before everyone else, well, that's something that they're really going to want to pay for.
NEWTON: Yes. And you can make money off of that. I think what is interesting here, obviously, is that it is tied to a president. And I do
wonder how comfortable everyone would be if a Vance media, an Ocasio-Cortez media, a Pritzker media group in years into the future would make some
money this way as well.
GOLDMAN: Yes, that's what's unique and so strange about this whole situation is that the president of the United States is buying and selling
access, or allowing Wall Street to buy and sell access to his own policy announcements on his own platform. I mean, there are 10 high speed trading
companies that have already said that they would pay $100,000 or upward of $100,000 a month for this kind of access.
[16:40:12]
This is real money. This is millions of dollars that are going straight from Wall Street to the president of the United States to pay for split
second access to his own policy announcements. It is mind boggling and certainly unique stuff -- Paula.
NEWTON: Unique and happening right now. David Goldman, thanks for explaining it to us. Appreciate it.
GOLDMAN: Thank you.
NEWTON: Now, luxury watchmaker Bremont is planning to send the first British watch to the moon. The company's CEO joins me to discuss that and
much more. That's next.
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NEWTON: Bremont Watch Company unveiled its new Supernova collection, saying one of the models is set to become the first British watch to reach the
moon. Now the watch will be embedded within a lunar rover, which is expected to land later this summer. It's just one of the many ways the
company is trying to stand out in an increasingly competitive market.
Now they've had some adversity. That includes President Trump's tariffs. But as the only end-to-end watchmaker in England, design, development,
assembly, all end-to-end, it may be less exposed than some of its European competitors.
Davide Cerrato is the CEO of Bremont Watch Company and he joins us now.
It is really good to see you. I want to thank you for coming in. Bremont --
DAVIDE CERRATO, CEO, BREMONT WATCH COMPANY: Good to see you, Paula. Thank you for inviting.
NEWTON: Nice to see you. A Bremont on the moon. Tell us about this latest collaboration and how important it is in terms of it being a marquee point
to your brand and where you hope to go with it next.
CERRATO: Yes, it's a very exciting project. The brand itself mantra is take it further. So it's really pushing the boundaries and really pushing the
limits. We have this incredible collaboration with the Astrolab. They are specialists of lunar vehicles. And by the way, multi-planet vehicles. And
we work with them to embed one of our watches, the Supernova chronograph, automatic chronograph, in a very special technological clamp, and it will
go on board of a flip, this lunar vehicle, not before November of this year.
[16:45:09]
On the south pole for a period of test, technological test and exploration, and after the mission to stay there indefinitely as a testament, as a kind
of time capsule of how far man has gone above Earth.
NEWTON: It is fascinating. And certainly I'm sure you've already calculated, will appeal to those in the market for this kind of a watch. I
do want to point out that Bill Ackman, who's the billionaire activist investor, he is one of your main private investors. He told "The New York
Times" earlier this year that, and I'm quoting him, that to build a global brand in this competitive space, it's not something you do overnight. You
do not want to compromise.
But this is what fascinates me. He added that he's prepared to lose money for a meaningful period of time, and he honed in on what I want to ask you
about, that the challenge for you is brand discovery. What does that plan for you entail? Because I don't have to remind you, it is quite a challenge
given how established the market is.
CERRATO: It is. But Bremont is a fantastic, unique story. A proudly British company and watchmaking was born in Britain. With an end-to-end watch
manufacture. We have a really unique story. We have a very positive obsession for durability. And we have been investing a lot in special
materials. For example, the steel that we use is a special alloy called 904-L that comes from aerospace.
And you know, the brand was born around this idea of let's build an indestructible pilot watch. And, you know, coming up with this very quirky,
but original idea of testing the watch on the wrist of the mannequin that is exposed at 25g and coming with a very special case that is anti-
vibration and anti-magnetic. So from the beginning, the company said something very unique and very different.
We have an incredible story. We will be 25 years old next year. Definitely Bill Ackman, that is an incredible watch collector also and watch
passionate is very right building up on our uniqueness is fundamental.
NEWTON: I will point out that at 25 years, you're a mere bambino in the watch market, especially some of the big players.
CERRATO: We are. Definitely.
NEWTON: I do want to ask you about tariffs. I mean, how do you navigate that given the volatility in recent months? And I'm assuming that you want
the United States to be a very important market for you.
CERRATO: Definitely yes. United States is our -- has become our first market above U.K.. The brand resonates perfectly with the American
customers and it's a brand known for appreciation of sports watches and tool watches in particular. So for us, for sure, the tariff has been a
challenge, but because the U.S. market is so important and because it's growing almost triple digit, we have absorbed that, and, you know, we have
continued to deliver an incredible value for money for our customer. That is really one of our key signature.
NEWTON: When you say tripling, you mean the U.S. market has shown that much of an improvement for you?
CERRATO: Definitely yes. Yes. It's growing -- is growing very strongly. And, you know, the brand is resonating very well with the customer. The
level of quality and design that we are expressing is really appreciated. And Supernova in particular, the line that is connected with space is
particularly successful.
NEWTON: Davide Cerrato, thanks so much for coming in. Really appreciate it.
CERRATO: Thank you, Paula. Have a great day.
NEWTON: Now, Estonia has given high school students accounts with A.I. chatbot, if you can believe it. Why and whether it will work? That's next.
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[16:51:51]
NEWTON: Now most kids will be headed back to school in just a matter of weeks. Yes, already. But for about 20,000 teenagers in Estonia, the
classroom might look a bit different from what you would expect. They have been given their very own custom chatgpt accounts to help with their
schoolwork. Let me say that again. To help with their schoolwork.
It's part of a move by the government to embrace A.I. and rethink how it can be used within education rather than simply banning it altogether.
I want to bring in Kristina Kallas. She is Estonia's Minister of Education and Research, and I thank you for joining us on what is certainly arguably
an ambitious project.
What I'm interested in here is why you've decided to do this. And as it's happening, I mean, this is an experiment, right? You're going to track how
this works and what the benefits or what the pros and cons are one way or the other.
KRISTINA KALLAS, ESTONIAN MINISTER OF EDUCATION AND RESEARCH: Yes. Good afternoon. Indeed, it's a pilot. We have finished first eight months of
that pilot, but the important thing here is actually not so much about the technology. What we are very much concerned in Estonia is that what is it
exactly that we have to do in education differently at the era where we have such a technology out there in the world?
Obviously this is impacting education very, very, very big. Like it's a big shift in education that is happening because of the A.I.. And I think what
we are trying to understand is what kind of learning takes place when students are using A.I. and how this learning type or the type of learning
is affecting their process of thinking. Because education system, the main goal, especially when we talk about the high school, is to develop the
human intellect and the capacity to think.
And we know that we are all very much worried about the fact that A.I. is taking away this capacity to think, that this is going to be kind of
transferred to the technology, and humans will not be developing their thinking capacities that much. And we are very worried about this. So what
we have done is that we have piloted a project where we bring A.I. into the classroom. It's a specifically designed A.I. that we designed together with
OpenAI to bring it in the classroom to see what happens to human thinking and human learning while they are using an A.I..
NEWTON: I'm curious, does it make you a little bit nervous? You know, I understand what you're saying. And in fact, perhaps in certain ways, A.I.
can actually help develop critical thinkers because I'm sure that's what you're aiming for. But it must be a little bit nerve-wracking, especially
when other European countries are backing away from the digital classroom and really going back to basics when it comes to education.
KALLAS: It's not really that much nerve wracking because teachers embrace this project very open handed. They were actually demanding. We have a
competition now among the schools who will be the next one to join the project. So there is a very high demand from the teacher side to be part of
the project, and especially primary school teachers.
[16:55:00]
They feel that they are left out of the project and they would like to be in the project because they also say that the students already in upper
primary school levels and middle schools are using A.I. and learning, and the teachers need to be much more aware and trained how to handle A.I. in
the learning process.
Maybe Estonia is also a little bit different from the other European countries because we are fully digital governance country and we have done
digitalization of education for the past 25 years. We were the first comers into the edtech market very early on. And that innovation, which we did 25
years ago, paid very well in education. We have grown in terms of the basic skills and other results in education very well.
So I would say that our society is rather optimistic about this experiment. They are keen in learning. What does it mean to bring this technology into
the schools? So I haven't received a single parental complaint yet to my desk about this.
NEWTON: I mean, we take your point because we have learned about Estonia in the sense of you bring a new meaning to the word digital native. You have
an entire generation of people that are exactly that, I understand.
We don't have a lot of time left, but I am wondering at what point you will have those markers. Is it a year? Is it two years or is it the feedback
loop in terms of how this is going? Is it much more, you know, much more immediate than that?
KALLAS: Our research team is producing the first feedback at the beginning of next academic year, which in Estonia starts early September. So it's
just a few weeks left when we hope to get some of the feedback because they're researching not so much of how learning is happening, because
that's a little bit too early to say, but rather about what exactly are students doing with an A.I., like what kind of learning exercises they are
doing with A.I. at home and then we will learn what type of learning they relate to the A.I. rather than doing by themselves.
And then based on that results, we will be probably redesigning a little bit the program for the next year. But what we are really curious about and
what we are aiming at is really for students to develop much deeper thinking skills compared to what they would have done otherwise if they
haven't used technology because I think A.I. is pushing us into this evolutionary jump to become much, much more intellectually challenged in
capacity to think.
NEWTON: Certainly, we will continue to keep an eye on this. It's a fascinating way that you guys are applying A.I. and of interest to so many
around the world.
Kristina Kallas, for us, thanks so much. Really appreciate it.
KALLAS: Thank you.
NEWTON: And that's it for QUEST MEANS BUSINESS. I'm Paula Newton. "THE LEAD WITH JAKE TAPPER" starts after this break.
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